e being suffered by my poor black comrade--comrade
soon to be no more.

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN.

HOW THE DOCTOR GAVE JIMMY HIS PHYSICS.

I could not move for a few moments, the terrible cry and the shrieks
that followed seemed to rob me of all power; but overcoming this
paralysing feeling at last, I ran towards where poor Jimmy lay, the
thought flashing upon my mind that the doctor must be performing some
operation to try and save the poor fellow's life.

I was quite right, as I found when I reached the spot, followed by all
the little camp: the doctor was performing an operation, and the
Australian was upon his knees now, his feet then, capering about, and
appealing for mercy.

For the instrument with which the doctor was performing his operation
was the stout cane I had previously seen in his hand, one that he had
cut in the jungle, and then sent me away so as to spare my feelings and
keep me from witnessing the painful sight.

To my utter astonishment Jimmy was apparently free from all traces of
his late ailment, and catching sight of me he bounded to me, getting
behind me to avoid the hail of blows that the doctor was showering upon
his unprotected person.

"Doctor!" I shouted.

"The dose to be repeated," he said, "when necessary," and he reached
round me with the cane, giving Jimmy two or three very sharp cuts. "See
how this takes down the swelling. For outward application only. One
dose nearly certain to cure."

"What are you doing?" I cried.

"Doing? Performing a wonderful cure. Hasn't Jimmy here been horribly
ill, and alarmed the whole camp?"

Every time he could he gave Jimmy a smart cut, and the black shrieked
with pain.

"How are you now, my man?" he said mockingly.

"Jimmy quite as well. Ever so better. All rightums. Tank you better,"
yelled the black, and he sheltered himself again behind my back.

"Doctor," I said, surprised and angry at what seemed horrible cruelty.

"Give him some more?" he said laughing. "Of course I will," and he
tried to reach round me, but I caught hold of the cane, and Jimmy took
advantage of the cessation of hostilities for a moment to run for some
distance and then climb up a tree, in one of the higher branches of
which he settled himself like a monkey, and sat rubbing himself and
looking down at the danger from which he had escaped.

"There, Joe," said the doctor, laughing; "it has made me hot. That's as
good a cure as the Queen's physician could h